We don’t usually cover gossip as it pertains to gadgets, but today’s unveiling of the “miracle” Bloom Box is definitely an exception.

If you’ve had your ear pressed to the green scene lately — or caught 60 minutes last weekend — you’d know that talk surrounding the Bloom Box has been exploding. Up until its unveiling today, it had a kind of aura around similar to cold fusion. Could something so small really change the world? Short answer: yes. And soon.

Simply put, the device — created by startup Bloom Energy — is a fuel cell that would allow homes and businesses to generate their own electricity. At a media event this morning, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger joined Bloom cofounder and CEO K.R. Sridhar in unveiling the Bloom Box. Companies like Google, FedEx, Wal-Mart, and eBay are already beta-testing the technology — with the latter reporting a savings in electric bills of over $100,000 since July.

Bloom’s CEO said that the goal of their technology wasn’t just to make clean energy, but to also make it more affordable to those around the world. “Without energy these people don’t have a passport to economic growth,” he said. “The geopolitical and social impact on this, is a very big part of world politics and policy. We saw this as a call to our generation. A call to make an impact. To do good, and make good. World needs accessible energy that is sustainable.”

The boxes, which look like a giant refrigerator are certainly not cheap, coming in somewhere between $700,000-$800,000. But Bloom hopes to scale it down so that in coming years, each box only costs somewhere around $3,000 each.

About Michael dEstries

Michael has been blogging since 2005 on issues such as sustainability, renewable energy, philanthropy, and healthy living. He regularly contributes to a slew of publications, as well as consulting with companies looking to make an impact using the web and social media. He lives in Ithaca, NY with his family on an apple farm.